Kings need more from shrinking defence

Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller (1), of Switzerland, stops a shot by Los Angeles Kings centre Trevor Lewis (22) during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, May 3, 2014.Alex Gallardo
/ AP

(L-R) Goaltender Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings covers the puck, as Drew Doughty #8 of the Kings is checked by Francois Beauchemin #23 of the Anaheim Ducks in the second period of Game One of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on May 3, 2014 in Anaheim, California.Jeff Gross
/ Getty Images

Anaheim Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy (6) takes the puck away from Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, May 3, 2014.Alex Gallardo
/ AP

Matt Beleskey #39 of the Anaheim Ducks is pursued by Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings for the puck in the second period of Game One of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on May 3, 2014 in Anaheim, California.Jeff Gross
/ Getty Images

Jarret Stoll #28 of the Los Angeles Kings is checked by Matt Beleskey #39 of the Anaheim Ducks in the first period of Game One of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on May 3, 2014 in Anaheim, California.Jeff Gross
/ Getty Images

Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, right, stops a shot by Anaheim Ducks right wing Devante Smith-Pelly (77) during the first period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, May 3, 2014.Alex Gallardo
/ AP

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EL SEGUNDO, Ca. - No one ever said there wasn’t some luck involved for any team that goes all the way to the Stanley Cup.

Darryl Sutter admitted it in the spring of 2012, and every opponent his Los Angeles Kings vanquished along the way made sure to mention it in the months that followed.

The Kings went through the entire two-month war of attrition with six defencemen.

Other teams were wearing out the phone lines to their farm clubs trying to patch holes; Sutter just kept filling in the same six names on 20 consecutive lineup sheets: Drew Doughty, Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez.

Well, the sun doesn’t shine on the same dog’s butt every day, even if the odds of it happening are better in Southern California, where it’s always sunny.

Saturday evening, veteran Robyn Regehr limped off the ice in Game 1 of the Pacific Division final midway through the first period after just six shifts, and never returned. That meant the Kings, who got both the tying goal with seven seconds left in regulation and the overtime winner from trade deadline acquisition Marian Gaborik, were down two bodies from the core that started the playoffs.

They lost Mitchell to a blown-out knee in the first round against San Jose. When they take their 1-0 series lead into Anaheim for Game 2 on Monday night, chances are excellent that Sutter will be filling in yet another new name, that of minor-league callup Jeff Schultz, the 6-foot-6, 227-pound former Washington Capital who was far enough down the organizational depth chart, his bio didn’t even make the Kings’ post-season guide.

The Kings’ defence, with Mitchell and Regehr and Greene, was already on the, er, deliberate side (which is what they call slow, in golf). Now, it’s also less experienced.

And a Ducks team that, even prior to Saturday’s 3-2 heartbreaking loss, thought one of the keys to winning was to put pressure on the L.A. defence with a hard forecheck is going to be even more encouraged to bring the beef.

Can even a masterly game coach like Sutter finesse his way through what could be a long, physical series with five trustworthy blueliners, while dropping Schultz in on occasion?

Already, the star of his lineup, Drew Doughty, played more than 33 minutes in Game 1. How hard does he dare whip that horse?

“When you go to five (defencemen), all it does is change situations. Places on the ice where you maybe have someone on a power play or a penalty kill, a faceoff or a matchup, that sort of thing,” Sutter said, at the team’s El Segundo practice facility.

“And then obviously the partner relationship. Robyn and Slava played together a lot, Robyn and Drew have played together a lot, and Robyn’s an important part of the penalty kill, so … but you know what, the best thing for us is experience. We dealt with Mitchell (injured) last year for a whole year, Greene for pretty much everything.

“Injuries are a big part of it. If you use it as an excuse, and I’ve heard it used as an excuse, it’s just another reason to take the wrong road.”

Doughty, an absolute natural who never overthinks the game, has always loved extra ice time.

“Everyone probably played over 20 minutes,” Doughty said. “With five D, if you ask every single one of the defencemen today, they like that better.

“Everyone is into the game. Everyone is (penalty-killing). Some guys were playing on their wrong side. You’re just into the game. You don’t have to think, ‘Am I going to be up or not?’ It’s just rolling the lines, flowing it out. I thought we did a really good job.”

Martinez, who has taken massive strides this year as a go-to member of the defence, not only scored the first goal Saturday but saved the game for the Kings with a kick save on Ducks sniper Corey Perry in overtime, with Jonathan Quick down and out and the net wide open.

“I guess I channeled my inner goalie playing in the driveway when I was younger,” said the 26-year-old from Detroit.

When they watched the replay on video, “Darryl actually gave me a hard time. He said that my rebound control wasn’t very good,” said a grinning Martinez.

“I told Billy Ranford, our goalie coach, that we should probably go over it today. Darryl told me I either have to kick the rebound out wide, not up the middle, or at least cover it and get a whistle.”

Sutter wasn’t giving out any bons mots on Regehr’s status, though.

“Nope. Not going to talk about Regehr or Mitchell. It does me no good to talk about our injured players, just helps the other team,” he said, but Schultz is definitely under the impression that he’s playing.”

“It’s an exciting time. I worked hard all year. Didn’t think this day was going to come. But I have an opportunity to help the team win,” said the 28-year-old from Calgary.

“It’s hard to replace a guy like Robyn. But I feel like I’m capable of doing a similar job of what he can do.”

It’s not going to be like 2012, if the Kings do it this time.

“We came into the postseason banged up, I mean by Game 2 we weren’t sure where our defencemen were (healthwise) against San Jose,” Sutter said. “So, you ask other guys – not just defencemen – you need other guys to help you out.”

"When you're down to five D, you need to make sure that they are getting line changes,” said forward Justin Williams, “and that comes from forwards getting the puck in and recognizing when your defencemen are tired -- because they were warriors last night. They played unbelievable. And you can tell they were in the reserve tank trying to find what was left.”

“I think everyone, as a d-corps and as a team ... you can’t replace one guy like (Regehr) if he’s not ready to go. It’s got to be a collaborative effort,” Martinez said. “I think everyone needs to elevate their game. This is playoff hockey. You have to do that anyway, if you want to win.”

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